


Welcome to the Neighborhood

by EzzyDean



Category: Free!
Genre: Gen, M/M, Rin is Rei and Gou's big brother, SO MUCH FLUFF, but mostly fluff and silliness, chapters rearranged as the prompts & story updates, child!Rei, child!gou, some mild angst here and there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-06
Updated: 2014-10-14
Packaged: 2018-01-23 19:59:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 13,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1577639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EzzyDean/pseuds/EzzyDean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an accident Rin moves into a new apartment with his baby sister, Gou, and his little brother, Rei.  Soon he meets his new neighbor, Makoto, and eventually his life keeps moving forward.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Together

**Author's Note:**

> There really is no order to the chapters exactly. But I'll try to keep them somewhat chronological.

Rin had been expecting the phone call.  His parents had said something in their last letter about an important announcement and he was just hoping it wasn’t another sibling.  Not that he really had anything against his family growing but, come on, he already had two siblings over a decade younger than him, and it was kind of tough figuring out how to be a big brother as it was.  He figured they wanted to tell him they were moving somewhere or that little Gou was already toddling up and down the stairs or that Rei was learning to swim or that they were getting a dog.  Or maybe his dad was finally retiring or his mom had got that big promotion she was hoping for.  Any of those would be pretty awesome.

So, yes, he was expecting that his phone was going to ring one of these nights.  What he wasn’t expecting was a complete stranger’s voice to be coming through the speaker.  Or to hear the words “parents” and “death” and “sorry for your loss.”

His baby sister may be able to scurry up the steps unassisted but right now she, and his little brother, were utterly alone.  Well they were with some official government person or another but in essence they were alone.  There were no aunts or uncles or grandparents to contact.  They had always been a small family and now they were even smaller.

It was going to take him too long to get back to where his parents lived and he was already shoving clothes haphazardly into his bag before he had even hung up the phone.  He didn’t have time to worry about packing the right things, anything he needed he could always pick up once he got there.  He shot off a text to his boss, wincing when he saw how late it was, and then was on his way.

Fourteen hours later he was stepping out of a taxi in front of a large building.  It was whatever government place they were keeping his brother and sister until he arrived.  He was sure the man on the other end of the phone had given him more details about the place and what exactly it was but he hadn’t been in the condition to hear him.

After showing his ID and filling out a short form at the front desk Rin was lead down a maze of hallways to a plain white door.  He could hear muffled sniffles and sobs from inside and he felt a surge of loss crawl it’s way up to his throat.  Along with the sobs he could hear a young voice speaking in fairly calm tones.  He cracked open the door and peeked in to see Rei holding Gou in his lap with his chin on her head.  Pride floated through Rin’s emotions for a moment as he watched them; barely even four and Rei’s first concern was his little sister’s comfort.  He pushed the door open further and Rei’s eyes snapped up to his and his small body went still.

Then, as his chin wobbled and tears started to well at the corner of his eyes, Rin was on the floor pulling them both into his lap and Rei finally started crying.  Apparently, he found out later when talking to the woman in charge, Rei hadn’t shed a single tear the entire time he had been there.

"I’ve got you," was all he could manage to say.  But it was enough for Rei and Gou.

——

"Excuse me?"  Rin asked, staring at the woman behind the desk in disbelief.

"It’s just an option.  One that no one would judge you for taking.  They are young, _you_  are young, and there is quite a gap in ages and many other factors that will make raising them difficult.”

"After all this you want me to put them up for adoption?"

"I don’t want you to do anything other than what you feel is best for you and your siblings.  I am just giving you all your options."

"But you’re _suggesting_ that this be the one I choose?"

"I believe that it would possibly be in everyone’s best interests."

"They’ll end up separated, won’t they?"

"There’s no guarantee one way or the other.  We try to keep siblings together but often yes, they do get separated."  A chill skittered across his spine as he imagined them being shipped off and split up and growing up without each other, without him.  Before he even really realized he was doing it he had shoved all the papers on the desk back at her with a shake of his head.

"No.  I’ll take care of them.  We’re family," he pressed on as she opened her mouth, "It doesn’t matter that I was living a day’s trip away.  Or anything else.  We’re all we have left and if it’s in my power to do so I will not let us lose each other."  She studied him for a few minutes.  Despite what she had said moments earlier he knew she was judging him.  Seeing the bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep he’d had the past few weeks.  Seeing the way he was starting to chew his thumbnails ragged.  Seeing the determined set of his shoulders and the look in his eyes that dared her to challenge his decision.

"Very well.  Just remember that if it ever becomes too much that there is help and there are other options available," she set about gathering the documents needed for Rin’s decision.

Later that night he collapsed onto the couch in his parent’s house, what _was_ his parents house, and sighed as Gou and Rei crawled into his lap.  Rei was watching him with those big observant eyes of his that seemed to see so much for his young age and Rin gave him a weary smile.

"Don’t look at me like that, Rei.  Don’t worry.  I’m not going anywhere. We will have to move, I’m sure.  I know I can’t keep this place up by myself.  But anywhere we go, we’re going together, okay?”

"Together."

"Yeah.  Together.  We’ll be okay.  It might take awhile to get there.  But we’ll be okay."

"T’gether. O-kay."  Gou beamed up at her big brothers as they turned to look at her.

"Okay," Rei whispered and hugged Rin.


	2. Mail Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nonny asked: Rin moves to the appartment in front of mako, with bby brother Rei who's about 4 and bby Gou who's really a baby or about 2 and Mako knocks one night and little Rei answers and just stares until Rin comes, scoops him up and thats it they are gone
> 
> Aka the prompt that started it all.

Makoto stops by because he got some of their mail by accident and he figured he’d be nice and just drop it off.  When Rei answers the door he’s confused because he didn’t realize any families moved in.  Most families with a child that young are louder and he hadn’t heard a peep out of the apartment.  He only knew it was occupied now because of name on the mailbox.

Little Rei is just staring at him because he is so  _huge_ in Rei’s mind.  Tall, long arms, big hands, wide shoulders.  Rin just kind of freezes in the doorway from the bedroom with Gou on his hip and stares at Mako.  When Mako looks up at him he finally shakes loose from whatever daydream he had gotten stuck in and hurries to the door.  He takes the mail with a polite smile, thanks Mako for bringing it and scoops Rei up onto his other hip and easily closes the door with his foot.

He has too much going on right now to be getting caught up in daydreams about his new neighbor.  No matter how much a weakness he has always had for green eyes and wide shoulders.

 

Makoto goes back to his apartment and sees the laundry he hasn’t put away yet and the dishes from supper last night he hasn’t washed.  Sees the mail and bills scattered on the table.  Sees a missed call from his parents.  And he wonders what it’s like at the apartment across the hall.  He wonders if the two kids are his neighbor’s kids (the age would appear to be right after all and he was obviously used to carrying them both around) and if so if there’s a mom somewhere.

He starts paying attention a little more.  Never sees a woman come around so he figures something happened and his neighbor lost his wife.  (Kind of young looking to marry but it’s not like it affects Mako any.)  Rin doesn’t leave with any regularity except to get groceries once or twice a week, so Mako assumes he has some kind of job he can do from home.  Or if he lost his wife or whatever maybe there’s insurance and he’s taking time off.

Mako doesn’t want to pry but he’s curious.  Curious about how someone who looks so close to age to himself is living such a vastly different life.  Mako’s always been responsible but this guy has _responsibilities_ and Mako just … wants to know about that.


	3. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin gets sick, has a birthday, repays Mako's kindness with food, meets Haru and Nagisa, and just generally lives his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter may be a bit choppy. It's a handful of various prompts pieced together.

Mako doesn’t really know when he became such a permanent and important person to Rin and Rei and Gou.  But apparently he has.  He spent most of the night over at Rin’s apartment when both Rei and Gou got sick at the same time.  He did a grocery run for Rin so he could stay with the kids.  He didn’t even realize until he finally collapsed on his own couch the next day that he had neglected to get his own groceries while he was out that day.

He’s not sure when, or exactly how, he wound up with some of the kids’ clothes mixed in with his own laundry.

He’s not sure of a lot of things, actually.  But when Rei knocks on his door softly a few days later and tells him that Rin wouldn’t (or couldn’t, Rei’s words were kind of rushed and his voice was scratchy with worry) get up it doesn’t matter.  All that matters is helping Rin get better.

(When it’s Mako’s turn to be sick a few days later they all crash at his apartment and help him get better too.)

It's not long after that when Rei knocks softly on his door one afternoon with a sweet request and Makoto can't refuse.  So Mako leaves a note on the kitchen table that he’s taking Rei with him to go shopping.  Rin panics at first when he wakes up and can’t find Rei but then sees the note.  Rei’s been more and more independent lately so Rin’s not surprised that he went over to Mako’s when Rin and Gou fell asleep for a nap.  He doesn’t really even think anything of it when they get back.

Not until the next morning when he wakes up to a small handful of presents sitting on the end of his bed and the smell of pancakes cooking in the kitchen.  Gou bounces in and smiles up at him and snuggles under the blanket with him.  Rei is in just a moment later and following him is Mako holding a tray with breakfast.

Mako explains that it was all Rei’s idea.  He planned everything and even looked through the cupboards and fridge to see what they needed to get to make Rin breakfast in bed.  Rei even used some of his own birthday money he had saved from last year to buy a present for Rin from Gou and himself.

Makoto had found out a lot about them that day.  That's the day he learned that Rin was in fact a few months  _younger_ than himself.  The day he had learned about the little scar on Rei's finger from the morning he had tried to make them all breakfast not long after they had first moved in.  The day he learned that Rin cooks amazingly and he nearly embarrassed himself praising the redhead, much to little Gou's amusement.

He asked about how Rin had even found this apartment since it was kind of out of the way and Makoto had only found it by accident when he moved in.  That's when he found out that it was thanks to Mikoshiba and Nitori, the two lovebirds of the complex.  Apparently Rin and Mikoshiba had been neighbors and friends when they were younger and when he had heard about Rin's parents Mikoshiba told him to let him know if he could help.  Rin had jokingly asked if Mikoshiba knew of anyplace fairly cheap and decent to live because his tiny little efficiency apartment was not going to work to live with his little brother and sister.  Rin was shocked when Ai called him a couple days later with the details on the apartment and the price.  He had moved in a week later.

Makoto learned a lot about his neighbors that day.  He learned how Rei would play with his glasses when he got flustered.  How Gou would stumble from brother to brother for attention when she felt left out of something.  How Rin smiled lovingly at his siblings when he didn't realize anyone was watching him.

He also learned, when he stepped back into his own apartment late that night, that despite everything that had happened to them they were doing okay and he was kind of jealous.  Some days he barely remembered that his milk was expired before drinking it and he still had laundry from a week ago on his couch and there Rin was raising his two siblings.

A couple days later Rin showed up with Gou and Rei to make him a thank you supper.  Makoto offered to help but Rin shoved him out of the kitchen and told Gou and Rei to keep him busy.  He turned to get started and eyed the kitchen warily.  Makoto had told him he wasn't the best housekeeper, especially since it was just him here, and he  _had_ been busy helping Rin with everyone being sick and then with Rin's birthday and everything.  But this was just kind of ridiculous.  Dirty dishes stacked in the sink, empty cans and boxes stacked by the garbage, and a dish rag that probably hadn't been washed in quite awhile.  He just sighed and started running some water.  By the time supper was done cooking he had switched to a semi-autopilot mode and had cleaned the kitchen completely.  He had even found Makoto's clothes hamper and collected the towels and wash clothes from the kitchen and bathroom.  It's not like he had planned on playing maid or anything.  But the cleaning kind of calmed him.  It let him just zone out for a little while.

Makoto had noticed Rin cleaning.  But the almost there smile on his face as he shook his head at various stains and whatnot as he wandered around the kitchen kept him from saying anything.  The relaxed set of his shoulders as he washed and dried the dishes in the sink gave Makoto an odd sense of relief.  And the apron was a nice touch.  (After they had gone home Makoto would realize that to fill his hamper with dirty clothes that Rin had emptied the clean clothes and put them away.  Rin had folded his boxers and opened his drawers to find the right one.  He had a moment of pure mortification and then he just kind of dived under his blankets with a blush on his face and hid there until he fell asleep.)

 

A couple weeks after that Haru found himself staring at Makoto's door.  Haru hadn’t even planned on coming to visit.  He hadn’t even planned on babysitting Nagisa that day.  But it was an emergency and then Nagisa wanted to visit Uncle Mako and Haru knows when it’s going to be easier to just give in and go.  So there they are knocking in Mako’s door and no one answers.  Just as Haru is about to leave (he forgot his cell phone  _again_  and he’s not even sure why Nagisa’s parents even trust him with their child but whatever) Nagisa runs to the apartment across the hall and starts knocking on that door before Haru can stop him.

When Rin opens the door he just kind of stares at little Nagisa and then up to Haru standing in front of Mako’s door and opens his mouth to call Makoto over when Mako starts laughing from the living room and Nagisa, being Nagisa, takes that as some kind of invitation to launch himself into Rin’s apartment.

Haru smiles slightly apologetically and adjusts his messenger bag as Rin gestures for him to come in (and get the blonde hellion who invaded his apartment.)  When they make it to the living room they both just stop and stare.  Rin stares because Rei is actually laughing like a child his age should laugh (he hasn’t seen Rei laugh or smile much since their parents died although he has been smiling a little more since Mako has been hanging out with them.)  Haru stares because Mako has three small children climbing on him and Haru hasn’t seen Mako look so content since they graduated high school.


	4. Can You Hear Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nonny asked: Makorin Au with a side of number 82, if you could, please. (prompt 82: Can You Hear Me?)
> 
> Followed by: Maybe 83 or 10? or both? you get the idea (83 & 10: Heal & Breathe Again)

Things had been going so so well for them all and then suddenly Rin was just… so distant.  It was like they were never more than mere neighbors.  Rin would nod politely if they passed each other in the hallway and that was a big if.  Makoto couldn’t be sure that Rin was actively avoiding him.  But he couldn’t be sure he wasn’t either.  If he could just figure out a reason he’s sure he could either fix it or at least accept it.  His apartment just felt so empty without little Rei and Gou toddling around and filling it with the giggles they had finally come to produce.

He sighed again and stretched out on his couch.  There was nothing worse than not knowing what to do or how to go about fixing whatever was wrong.  A soft knock sounded at his door and he opened it to find Rei standing there looking nervous.

"Rei?  What’s wrong?"  Makoto held the door open wider for Rei to come in but he shook his head and squeezed his hands together.

"I’m not supposed to come over.  But I’m really worried.  I don’t know what happened but he’s crying again."  Makoto nodded and sent Rei back across the hallway.

An hour later he was knocking softly on the door and when Rei peeked around it Makoto smiled at him.  ”Haru’s gonna take you and Gou for a sleepover with Nagisa tonight, okay?”  Rei meet Nagisa’s eyes and smiled before nodding.

"Okay," he whispered.  Then he went inside for a few minutes before returning with a bag and his little sister in tow.  Haru scooped Gou and the bag up and held out his hand.  Nagisa grabbed Rei’s hand and then Haru’s and they headed out.

Makoto took a deep breath and headed into the apartment.  When he stopped outside Rin’s bedroom he could hear the muffled sniffles and choking sounds that Rin was obviously trying to keep from the kids.

"Hey, Rin?" Rin let out a startled noise but that was it.  "Rin, can you hear me?"

\----

It took him over two hours that night just to get Rin to unlock the door and let him in.  It took another twenty minutes of awkwardly standing in the doorway waiting for Rin to even look at him.

"Where are they at?"

"Sleepover with Nagisa at Haru’s."

"Oh."

Makoto took a seat on the floor and settled his back against the wall.  He didn’t know what was wrong or how he would be able to help but he was determined to do whatever he could.  Even if it was just sitting on the floor of Rin’s bedroom all night to let him know he wasn’t alone.

"Rei?"

"Yeah.  He’s worried about you."

"I’m a horrible brother.  He shouldn’t have to worry about me."

"Wanna talk about what happened?"  Rin sighed and rolled over on the bed to face Makoto.  It was a far cry from the nights they all spent curled up on the couch together watching movies but at this point Makoto was happy to take anything he could get.

"Not really.  But you deserve an explanation as to my giant douche attitude lately."  Rin’s voice was thick and cracking from his day spent crying and Makoto stood to get him a glass of water.  He handed it to Rin and went to move away but stopped when Rin grabbed his wrist.  So he sat on the floor and rested his back against the bed.

"You don’t have to explain anything you don’t want to."

"Now that just makes me feel even douchier."  Makoto felt the bed shift as Rin took a few swallows and then placed the glass on the bedside table.  After a moment he felt Rin’s hand tentatively rest on his head and he waited.  If nothing else meeting Rin and Rei and Gou had helped him increase his patience.  What felt like hours later Rin finally started to move his fingers, gently carding them through Makoto’s hair as he spoke.  "It’s not you I swear.  It’s just this whole thing is so screwed up.  I mean come on.  I’m basically a parent at twenty.  When I was barely a brother a year ago.  I just feel like this whole thing is some horrible joke or something.  And I feel like everything I do with them is being judged.  Every time I drop Rei off at school the parents are talking about us."  Rin’s hand stopped moving and Makoto reached up to take it in his own.  "Rei told me just a few days ago he heard one of the teachers talking about how they wonder if I can really do a decent job of raising them when I don’t even have a job and that I’m living off our parent’s life insurance."  He squeezed Mako’s hand and Mako had to shift closer to hear him when he whispered.  "Then I heard one of the moms talking about you when you picked him up a couple weeks ago.  There were some very rude things insinuated and you don’t deserve that."

"Neither do you," Makoto muttered and tugged lightly on Rin’s hand.

"I just thought that if I put some distance between you and us maybe things would die off a bit.  But…" he took a deep breath and Makoto heard the way it shook and had to resist the urge to drag Rin down and wrap him in a hug.  "You’ve helped so much.  This last year would have been complete hell if you hadn’t gotten my mail that day and knocked on my door.  They just don’t understand how hard it is to do this alone.  They just…" Rin sighed then Makoto felt the bed shift as Rin wrapped his arms around Makoto’s shoulders and tucked his head into Mako’s neck.

Makoto felt him start shaking just a moment before he felt the first tear soak into his shirt.  He sat and held Rin’s arms as he sobbed into his shoulder and wondered if Rin had ever really had the chance to mourn the loss of his parents, the loss of his old life.  He never even had the chance to prepare for the burden of being a parent.  This was all a huge thing to dump on the shoulders of someone barely out of his teens and Makoto hated that people were giving him so much trouble over it.

"Hey now.  Remember to breathe, okay.  Deep breaths.  I’m here.  You’re here.  Rei and Gou are probably having the time of their life right now with Haru and Nagisa.  You’re doing fine."  Mako just kept saying whatever popped into his head while Rin sobbed into his shoulder.  By the time Rin had quieted both of their throats were ragged and Makoto stood up slowly, Rin still wrapped around his shoulders, and reached for the glass of water.  After they drained it he put it back and crawled up onto the bed with Rin.  "If you want me to be I’m here.  If you want some time away I’ll go.  Just don’t close yourself away if you can help it, okay?"

Rin woke up the next morning with a headache to beat all headaches but for the first time since his anger had flared on the day he had heard those judgmental moms talking about Makoto he felt like he could be okay.  It might have something to do with the warmth blanketing him as Makoto held him against his chest.  It might have been the picture message on his phone of Gou, Rei, and Nagisa passed out covered in popcorn.  It might have been the relief he had felt waking up and not being alone.

No matter what it was it felt wonderful.  And he knew it wouldn’t have happened without Makoto.  This last week had proved that if nothing else.  Cutting Makoto out of his life had been like ripping the scab off of the memory of what happened.  Now that he had let him back in he hoped they could all heal and keep moving forward.


	5. Out of Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nonny asked: Neighbour!AU - some mean kids pick on Rei cause he doesn't look like his siblings and said he was adopt. Of course, he knows better but it still hurts cause he looks up to his brother so Rei tries to make himself look like Rin but totally fails at it.

He has his mom’s hair and mouth and fairly poor eyesight.  He knows that.  And he knows that  _him_  knowing should be enough.  But it’s not.  He’s not on the same page as the “handsome man” his brother has grown into or the “beautiful little girl” his sister is turning out to be.  He’s not even sure he’s in the same book.  They both take after their father.  The silky reddish hair and bright fiery eyes.  The quick wit and temper.  The sarcasm and humor.  He, on the other hand, is all their mother and if their parents were alive no one would be able to question it.  He has her quiet tone of voice, her gentle sense of humor, her determination and steel will.  Her intelligent eyes and unmanageable hair.

His first attempt at fitting in with his siblings is to let his hair grow.  Maybe if it grows out some it will start to take on that same smooth look theirs has.  He’s always been good about reminding Rin of when he needed to get his hair cut but this time he lets more time pass, enough that Makoto asks him if he needs a hair clip to keep his bangs out of the way while he’s reading.  Rin eventually sets up the appointment and when it’s time to go Rei is actually glad.  The longer hair simply made him stand out from them even more.

His second attempt is very short lived.  He tries to go without his glasses.  He thinks maybe he will look more like his siblings without them since neither of them need help with their eyesight.  That lasts until he trips on the stairs heading down to the mailbox and skins his knee.  Rin scolds him gently for not wearing them when he gets back and sees the bandages on Rei’s knee and asks what happened.  Makoto had simply patched him up with a raised eyebrow and sent him back to his own apartment.

He wants to dye his hair; contacts could work too but he’s nowhere near old enough to get some on his own and especially not the cool colored ones that would match Rin and Gou’s eyes.  But he might be able to dye his hair.  Except that he has no money to buy hair dye and he knows food coloring will only make everything a huge mess and get him in serious trouble.  So he does the most logical thing: he goes to Makoto for help.

Two applications of temporary hair dye later Rei looks at himself in Makoto’s bathroom mirror.  It really doesn’t help any and just makes his bright purple hued eyes even more obvious, he realizes with a sigh as he adjusts his glasses.

Maybe he was just not made to fit in with them.

"Try thinking about all the ways you three are alike instead," Makoto says as he rinses the dye from Rei’s hair.

A few years later Makoto is helping Rin clean out the apartments in their preparations to move and finds a sheet of paper filled with little Rei’s neat handwriting.  It’s a list of all the things that are similar about them and the writing near the bottom is tiny and almost smushed like Rei was suddenly remembering so many things he just didn’t have the room for.

The tiny words at the very bottom are what make Makoto fold the paper up and stick it in his pocket without mentioning it to anyone.

_We all love Makoto._


	6. Family Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nonny asked: 17 & 30 for the neighbour AU? ♥ (prompt: 17 & 30: Dinner & Happy)

It isn’t so much that Makoto can’t cook as it is he just can’t seem to get it right.  (Rin's birthday breakfast was some kind of miracle fluke that had yet to be able to be repeated.)  He knows perfectly well  _how_  to cook but something always goes wrong.  Too much water.  Too little flour.  Even if he measures it perfectly,  Eggs are too runny or not mixed well enough.  The oven is never quite set right (nor is the timer.)  Half of the meat sticks to the pan and the other half barely cooks.  He’d blame it on the stove of his apartment or his kind of cheap pans.  But it happens anywhere he tries to cook with any equipment.

Rin has to give him points for enthusiasm and effort though.  Even if it means Rin has to spend forty minutes cleaning up either of their kitchens with the help of Makoto and the kids.  Even if it means that between the two of them they still run out of the basic staples much sooner than they should.  Even if it means he has to listen to Makoto tease him and tell him they should just move in together already.  

He’s only known Mako a year there is no way in hell he is moving in with him.  He steadily ignores the little voice in the back of his head that sounds suspiciously like his mother when it whispers “Yet” at him.  It surprisingly brings a smile to his face because he knows his mom would just adore Makoto.  The way he was polite and kind and gentle.  The way he made Rei smile and Gou giggle.  The way he was always willing to help out.  Heck he replaced little Bun that day before they had really ever even had the chance to talk and  _that_  had averted a major catastrophe.

His dad would have liked him too, Rin thinks.  He was dependable, friendly, solid.  Straightforward.  Honest.  Those were the qualities his dad would have appreciated in Makoto.  He could practically feel his dad nudge him in the shoulder and stage whisper in that way he did “You could do a whole lot worse.”

Rin simply smiles and shakes his head when he hears Gou laugh from the living room before she hurries past the kitchen followed quickly by Makoto.  She squeals in delight when Mako catches her and picks her up with one arm and makes a show out of bringing her back to the kitchen to see Rin.  He can only sigh when he sees his little sister covered in glitter with colored marker splotches on her fingers.

"Dinner is almost ready so wash up."  Mako sets Gou down and nudges her towards the bathroom where they can already hear Rei turning on the faucet.  When the brunet turns back to Rin and reaches past him for a sample of food Rin smacks his hand with a smirk.  "Didn’t you hear me say to wash up?"

Makoto huffs out a laugh but steps up to the sink and dutifully washes his hands.  ”Yes, dear.”  Rin smacks his shoulder with the wooden spoon in his hands at the comment and turns away before Makoto can look back and see the pleased expression on his face.

A laugh sounds from the bathroom followed by Rei sputtering and the sound of water splashing and he heads down the hall, leaving Makoto to set the table.  He didn’t think it would be possible only a year after his parent’s death but, sure enough, right now he was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The little Bun incident can be found [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1537139)


	7. Mama and Papa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neighbor AU! Rei accidentally calling Mako "Dad" and Gou joins in

"Go ask Dad," Rin mutters distractedly as he scrubs at the stain of last night’s attempt at craft time on the counter with one hand and waves in the direction of the living room where Mako is helping Rei with his homework with the other.  It takes all of about five seconds to realize what he just said.

Unfortunately that’s all the time Gou needs to skip into the living room and repeat his words.  He stumbles into the room after her with wide eyes and groans at the look of delight on Makoto’s face.

"Does that make you Mom?"  Makoto asks with a wicked grin and Rin can’t stop the blush that covers his cheeks and inches down his neck.

"Shut up, Makoto.  Don’t even go there."

"Too late."  Judging by the blissful grin on the brunet’s face Rin did  _not_  even want to know the perverted thoughts crossing his mind.

"I am not calling you mom.  Just so you know," Rei declares in an almost bored voice before turning his attention back to his homework.

Gou looks from Rin to Mako and back again with a frown.  ”What’s wrong sweetie?” Rin asks when he sees her frown.  

She shakes her head and points to Mako.  ”Mama Mako,” she states and then turns and points at Rin, “Papa Rin.”  For some reason that makes Rin blush even more and Makoto starts laughing.

"Just stop laughing," Rin growls and throws the sponge in his hand at Makoto’s head before stomping back into the kitchen, "and go back to your own apartment once in awhile.  You’d think you live here as much as you’re over."

"Was that you inviting me to move in?" Makoto whispers in his ear as he wraps his arms around Rin’s waist.

"No I’m pretty sure I just told you to leave, actually."

"Fine.  I have stuff to do at my place anyway." Makoto laughs quietly against Rin’s shoulder and hugs him from behind for a moment longer before heading to the door.  "I’ll see you guys later," he calls out to the kids.

Rin likes to pretend that he’s not as disappointed as Gou is to see Mako leave.  He likes to pretend he’s not as attached to Mako as his siblings are.  He likes to pretend that he’s not as in love with Makoto as he is.

But he knows that Makoto knows he is and the fact that he knows and still doesn’t press Rin to do anything about it just makes him love the damn brunet even more.


	8. Emergency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neighbor AU! Where Mako finds out he's on Rin's Emergency contact list in the most stressful way possible

Makoto is running on autopilot before the call even ends.  He vaguely registers shutting off the stove.  He’s not entirely sure if he put the food on the counter back into the fridge or not.  He’s sure he locked the door, out of habit if nothing else.  All he can really focus on is the eerily calm voice of the lady on the other end of the phone call and the sound of Gou crying in the background.  He taps the address into the map app on his phone with calm fingers and hurries down the street.

The overly clean smell of disinfectant nearly overwhelms him when he steps into the small doctor’s office.  Memories of the twins being sick when he was merely a child try to crowd their way to the surface and he takes a deep breath, catching a hint of peppermint under the sterile smell, and forces them back down.  A gentle voice from the desk snaps him back to the present and he suddenly registers the young couple waiting on one side of the room and the older gentleman patiently reading a paper on the other.  He has to clear his throat a couple times before he can properly introduce himself and then he nearly drops his wallet as his tries to fish out his ID with shaky fingers.  The lady behind the desk smiles kindly at him and checks the information on a chart before standing and motioning him to follow her.

Once they clear the waiting room and the door shuts behind him he can hear Gou’s breathy sobs and the panic rises in the back of his throat again.

"She hasn’t stopped crying since they got here."  The lady says as she leads him to a small exam room.  "We thought it would be best to keep her somewhere private."  As soon as the door opens Gou’s eyes meet Makoto’s and she lifts her arms up to him with tears running down her cheeks.  He’s got her wrapped up in his arms a second later and she finally stops wailing.  In a matter of minutes even her breathing has quieted and she’s making quiet huffing sounds into his neck as he rubs her back and murmurs to her.  The nurse just watches, a little bit in awe of how easily he managed to calm the girl when none of their tried and true methods had worked.

Calming the girl seems to have calmed the young man down as well, she realizes when he turns his attention to her.  He seems more grounded now.  The lost look in his eyes when he first hurried in is gone.  "I’ll be right back with the doctor,” she says and shuts the door.

Rin’s sick.  Nothing life-threatening but it is serious.  He needs lots of rest and plenty of proper food and a few days of taking various medicine.  Starting a daily dose of vitamins might be a good idea as well.

They leave an hour or so later.  A very pale and very irritated Rin being ushered into a taxi by a very worried Makoto with Gou still latched around his neck.  The irritated look on Rin’s face slowly being replaced by a sheepish one by the time they get to the apartment building and he has to lean heavily against the side of Makoto that Gou isn’t asleep on.

It’s the first time someone other than Rin has ever picked Rei up from class since they moved and while Rei is excited to see Mako he immediately knows that something happened.  When he hears what he’s quiet the entire walk back and spends the rest of the night silently watching over Rin while doing his homework.  Gou refuses to leave Rin’s side for more than a minute or two at a time.

Makoto puts the kids to bed, promising to be in the living room if they need him, and then helps Rin get ready as well.  The redhead doesn’t even protest when Makoto helps him sit on the edge of the bathtub and wipes him down with a cool washcloth.

"You know," Mako says as he pulls a shirt from Rin’s dresser and hands it to him, "you could have just  _told_  me I was your emergency contact.”  The blush on Rin’s face makes him look healthier than Mako has seen him all day and something inside him that had been knotted up ever since he answered his phone finally loosens a little.


	9. Mako ESP and Magic Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nonny asked: Makoto had one of those bad days you wish you didn't get up that day. But he feels he has no right to complain bc his problems are nothing compared to Rin's raising his siblings, working, doing chores... It's Rin's time to make Makoto smile.
> 
> Nonny asked: Neighbor AU. Makoto clumsily manages to hit his head when he is playing with little Gou (maybe he is chasing her?) and she runs to Rin and tells him to kiss Makoto's head better, because her big bro always does that to heal her. It's Rin's magic!
> 
> (Two prompts, one chapter to save space)

It’s not like there’s anything even  _wrong_  today.  But at the same time everything is wrong.  From the moment he woke up all Makoto had wanted to do was crawl back into bed and go back to sleep.  He shouldn’t have any reason to complain.  He had a decent enough job that easily paid for his rent and bills and food.  He had a loving family and great friends.  But today was just… bad.

There’s a knock at the door and he shuffles over to it, unlocking it with a scowl.  One that stays on his face as it’s meet by Rin’s raised eyebrow and scrunched nose.  ”Wow.  You’re a piece of work today.”  Rin sighs and gestures for Makoto to move out of the way.

"Today’s not a good day, Rin."  Makoto protests but still moves out of the way and shuts the door as Rin slips off his shoes and wanders into the kitchen.

"That’s why I’m here."  He leans back out of the kitchen and smiles.  "Ai and Sei have the kids and you have my undivided attention should you need it.  Until you need it I am going to be in your kitchen baking cookies."

Makoto has no idea why Rin needs his kitchen to bake cookies.  But he can’t actually bring himself to ask Rin to leave.  So he just heads back to the couch and curls up under the blanket, going back to whatever mind-numbing daytime tv show he had been watching.  The sounds of Rin cleaning his kitchen and then prepping to bake make a little of the itching feeling of wrongness the day had been wrapping around him ease up. _  
_

Apparently he dozed off because he startles and his eyes pop open when Rin nudges his head a little and sits on the couch next to him.  He’s munching on a fresh cookie and when he sees Makoto watching him he holds out the other half.  Makoto opens his mouth like a child and is surprised when Rin actually feeds it to him instead of rolling his eyes and telling Makoto to grow up.  Rin runs his fingers through Makoto’s hair with a snort and shakes his head.

"I’ve already got stuff ready for supper.  Whenever you start getting hungry let me know."  Rin stays with him and they watch horrible movies all night.

It’s not until he’s crawling into bed late that night that Makoto even stops to wonder how Rin knew he was feeling out of sorts today.

 

* * *

 

It doesn’t even hurt to be honest but if you were to listen to Gou describe it you would think that he had taken on an entire army to defend her.  Honestly he had just tripped over a loose blanket and bumped his head on the table leg.  It had made his eyes water a little and that had sent Gou flying into the other room to yank Rin into the living room.

"You have to kiss it and make it better."  She states to Rin before turning to Makoto and smiling reassuringly.  "Rin’s kisses are magic."  

"I know they are."  Makoto gives Rin a knowing grin and Rin rolls his eyes.  Gou tilts her head a little and tugs at the end of one of her pigtails.

"Does he have to kiss a lot of boo-boos for you too?"  Rin blushes tries to avoid Makoto’s eyes.

"Something like that."

Rin’s face is red and he pinches Makoto’s shoulder for punishment but he leans in a presses a quick kiss to his forehead.

Makoto lets out a happy sigh and smiles at Gou.  ”All better.”

"Like magic."  She whispers loudly.

"Definitely."


	10. Pillow Fort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nonny asked: 24. MakoRin Neighbor AU (prompt 24 Pillow Fort)

"Pillow fort.  I said pillow  _fort_ ,” Rin mutters as he blinks up at the ceiling.  A small pillow appears in his vision and smacks into his stomach and he curls up with an exaggerated groan as Gou giggles and turns to run after Rei.  He’s the last one standing and she’s determined to win this round.  Nagisa crawls over to where Haru, who had been the first one down, is curled up next to the couch and pokes insistently at his babysitter’s shoulder.  He lets out a shout of surprise when Haru rolls over and carefully pins the little boy under him.  Gou lets out a triumphant squeal somewhere in the vicinity of the kitchen doorway and Rei sags to the floor in defeat.

"I win," the five year old proudly declares when Makoto peeks his head over the back of the couch to see her standing with one hand on her hip and the other brandishing her pillow.

"You did win indeed," he chuckles.

"Haru.   _Haruuu._ " Nagisa lets out a whine and Rin sits up and nudges Haru in the shoulder with his foot.  "Rin help me!"

He eyes the two and shrugs.  ”I dunno.  Haru is a pretty tough opponent.

"But he’s squishing me."  A small gasp comes from behind the couch and suddenly Gou is scrambling around it and standing over Haru.

"Let ‘im go."  She declares as she waves her little pillow over Haru’s head and when he squints at her and shakes his head she lets out a little growl.  Then she’s bopping him on his head and shoulders with all the strength she can muster until he sits up and tugs her and Nagisa both into his lap with a smile.

"I caught you both now."  They giggle and try to pry themselves from Haru’s strong grip while Rin pulls himself onto the couch with Makoto.  He can hear Rei in the kitchen getting something to drink and he smiles.  He does that a lot lately.  It’s nice.

"And you wanted to just build a pillow fort," Makoto playfully scoffs at Rin.

"I was hoping not to turn my little sister into a warrior goddess quite so young."  At that moment Rei sneaks out of the kitchen and pokes Haru in the side with the foam sword that Makoto and Rin had bought the kids last week.

"Unhand my friends you beast," he states in a clear voice as he pokes Haru a second time.  "I won’t ask twice."

"And what were you hoping to turn your little brother into," Makoto wonders as Haru puts his hands up in surrender and Rei stares at him.

"Someone who looks out for others.  Kind of like you," Rin says quietly as Rei ushers Gou and Nagisa towards the couch while watching Haru carefully for any sudden movements.

Makoto blinks in surprise at Rin’s words but before he can do anything other than start to blush his lap is full of Nagisa tugging at his shirt and bouncing to get his attention.


	11. Welcome to the Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nonny asked: I miss them so, neighbour AU. All of Mako's classmates or all the people that he works with, just assumed he has kids because he's always talking about what the kids did or will do, and it's adorable. Also, Mako's parents don't even explain it anymore, hey just say that 'y es, they kind of are their grandchildren'

"I didn’t know you had kids, Tachibana." His boss is looking over his shoulder at the pictures on his phone he had been showing his coworker from Gou’s fifth birthday last week.

"Well I," Makoto stops and thinks for a second before grinning, "I guess I pretty much do yeah."

"They’re good looking kids.  That girl’s gonna grow up beautiful.  And that boy’s already starting to look pretty handsome there."

"They are, aren’t they?  Smart too."

Makoto can’t stop thinking about it through his shift and on the way home.  Between the shopping and the homework and the cooking and cleaning and birthdays and everything he kind of forgot that they weren’t actually his kids or his little brother and sister.  He and Rin had been more or less going out for something like two years now.  There’s not a concrete date or time frame since everything just happened so casually.  He doesn’t even know when the empty spaces between them started being filled with hugs and kisses and lingering touches.  But he wouldn’t want it any other way.  They were even talking about renting a different apartment together so Gou and Rei could have their own full bedrooms to themselves.

_"So you want to look for a four bedroom place?  It’ll be a little more pricey but between our jobs we should be able to afford it."_

_"What do we need four bedrooms for?  Do I snore that badly or something?"  Makoto had nearly dropped the bowl he had been washing back into the sink and turned to Rin with his mouth hanging open._

_"Are you sure?"_

_"Yeah."_

They’d had some pretty heavy make out sessions and one night where they did a lot of things with hands and mouths and part of it was a little hazy to both of them the next morning.  But nine times out of ten Makoto would go back to his apartment at the end of the night if he didn’t fall asleep with them on the couch.

His phone buzzes as he starts up the stairs to his apartment and he checks the message from his sister.

[ **From: Ran** ]

_Check out the new addition to the family photos.  Mom and Dad can’t get over how adorable “their grandbabies” are_

[DOWNLOAD IMG?]

Makoto is confused but accepts it and changes while the picture is downloading and when he picks his phone up he actually blushes.

On the wall of family pictures, covered with memories of graduations and vacations and parties, is a new one.  

It’s the picture his parents had taken at Gou’s birthday party.  Makoto and Rin are sitting next to each other with Gou sitting on Rin’s lap and Rei sitting on the back of the couch with his legs dangling between Rin and Mako and one hand holding onto Mako’s shoulder for support.  Gou is opening her present from Mako (a giant kitty plush that she is currently sleeping with every night) and they all have smiles on their faces.

Yep.  They’re definitely his kids now.  They’re family.

And he wouldn’t want to change a thing.


	12. Just Say Yes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nonny asked: It's not that Mako is doubting their relationship or Rin or that he doesn't want to legally call them his family but before proposing he literally ask everyone he knows what they think Rin'll say (Haru is totally gonna punch him) (ps. Neighbour AU)

"Makoto," Haru states without even looking up from his magazine, "I swear to all that is holy if you ask me one more time if I think he’ll say yes I will take the ring and bury it in someone’s backyard."  He flips the page and cracks his neck with a tilt of his head.  "I won’t tell you whose yard.  I won’t tell you what city I am in.  Stop worrying so much."  

Makoto drops into the chair across from Haru and props his chin on his hand.  ”I can’t help it.  This is big for me.”

"You’ve been together for years.  You moved into a house together last year.  You’re all happy."  Haru looks up and gives Makoto a smile.  "You’ll be fine."

The smile Makoto gives in return is brilliant even if Haru can still see a sliver of doubt in there.  He knows they’ll be fine.  He’s never met a couple more stable than Makoto and Rin.

—

Ren and Ran are draped across the couch, each other, and Makoto.  ”Honestly,” Ran sighs and reaches for a handful of popcorn, “I don’t know why you’re so unsure about this.  You guys are like perfect for each other.”

Ren nods and pops a piece of candy in his mouth.  ”Agreed.  Besides you guys are practically married already.  They’re already family in everything but name and paperwork.  That’s even more important, right?”  Makoto can’t help but smile when Ran tries to steal some of Ren’s candy and pouts when he slaps her hand away.

They have a point.  Rin and Rei and Gou already come to family dinners and birthdays and outings.  They get gifts at holidays and his parent’s have been calling them their grandchildren for awhile now.  Maybe it would be okay.

—

Aiichiro just stares at him and he can hear Seijuro chuckling just behind him.  Why does everyone seem so surprised that he’s nervous about this?  He was gearing up to ask Rin a HUGE question.  He’d be crazy not to be a bit unsure.

"Not that I don’t appreciate the thought but, uh, why are you asking us?"  Seijuro hands Makoto and Ai both a bottle of water before settling on the couch next to Ai.  Makoto takes a couple swallows before he answers.

"Mostly because you’re the only ones I know who have known him longer than me.  You’re like his oldest friends."

"So it’s kind of like asking his parents for permission?"  Ai asks with a grin.  One that quickly turns soft and kind when Makoto nods with a blush.  

Seijuro laughs and pats Makoto’s knee.  ”Well you two are so incredibly adorable together that it makes me a little queasy sometimes.  But you make each other happy and that’s the important thing.  Rin will say yes so go for it.  We’ve got both of your backs and we always will.”

—

The stars are bright in the sky and Makoto takes a deep breath.  ”Rin?”

Rin murmurs in response and drops his head onto Makoto’s shoulder.  Finding a house with a porch swing had been the best decision ever, he decides as they sway slowly in the cool night air.  He feels Makoto shift a little and hears him swallow nervously.

"I have a question."  Before Makoto can stumble through whatever speech or spiel or nervous babble Rin is sure he has flying through his mind Rin responds.

"The answer is yes."  Makoto freezes and then huffs out a laugh.

"How do you know what my question is?"

"I figured you’d ask me sooner or later.  And I’ve known what my answer would be for awhile now.  Even if you had never asked it would still be yes."  Makoto holds out a small ring box with matching bands and Rin smiles as they sparkle in the moonlight.

"I love you."  Makoto’s voice is barely a whisper as Rin slips one band on his finger and the other on Makoto’s

"I love you too."


	13. The Man I Want to Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nonny asked: 10-year-old Rei talking or writing about Rin on class when asked who inspires them or how they want to be when they grow up, etc. Because he was little but he knows everything he did for them and everything he sacrificed for them

Rei has always proudly told anyone who cared to hear that his big brother was his biggest hero.  The best person ever in his eyes.

It’s not until he’s in 6th grade that Rin really understands.

The teacher just hands the paper to Rin at the monthly Friday conferences and tells him he should read it if he hasn’t.  Tells him how there have been a lot of students who choose family members for this kind of paper but that Rei’s really just stood out.

Rin looks down and sees the title in the corner, written in Rei’s neat handwriting (something he totally got from their mom, Rin’s took after his father’s: all mess and blurs and smudges) and he feels his heart skip a tiny beat.

_The Man I Want to Be_

By the time he finishes the first few paragraphs he has to put the paper down for a moment and he realizes that the teacher had left the room to talk to some other parents and give him some privacy.

_I never knew just how much a person could give up of themselves and still be whole.  I never understood just how someone could pick up the pieces of their lives and glue them back together while keeping two other lives together.  I never really even understood it as it was happening.  All I knew was that suddenly everything in my life was different and nothing was ever going to be the same.  My brother didn’t swoop in with a cape on his back like a masked superhero nor did he ooze with sophistication and class.  But he saved us regardless and, in a way, I think we helped save him._

_One of the first things I really remember about him is sitting in our new apartment, our new home that still smelled like moving boxes and dust and nothing like anything we knew, crowded around a box in the kitchen digging out pots and pans.  Our little sister was crying because she was hungry and I was trying not to do the same.  Then I suddenly was because I looked up and saw him.  He was sitting looking completely lost, like he didn’t even know how he wound up on the floor surrounded by lids and pans and silverware, and his eyes met mine and we all just sat there crying._

_You might think it’s odd that my hero, my idol, however you wish to phrase it, is someone I clearly remember curling up with on the cool tile floor with our baby sister and just crying with until our stomachs hurt from more than just hunger and our throats felt raw.  But when I think of it all I can think of is how he showed us how to live.  How to be human.  How to be happy in spite of everything that had happened._

_He gave us strength.  He gave us a home.  He gave us a family._

_My brother is the strongest person I know and while I selfishly hope to never have to face the things he did I know that if I can muster even a fraction of courage he has I’ll be alright in the end.  And if I can’t I know that he’ll be there for me to lean on._

Later that night Rin comes home dry eyed and quiet.  Rei and Gou are staying with Makoto’s parents for the weekend and when Mako looks up from his book on the couch he smiles at Rin.  Rin can only hand Mako the paper and curl up on the couch in his lap, sprawling across him and leeching his warmth and strength as best he can.

Mako reads the paper in silence and the presses a kiss to Rin’s head.

"He’s sure got you figured out," he says.

"Did you read the back?" Rin asks and waits as Makoto flips the paper over.  He knows when he gets to  _that_  part because Mako’s breath catches and his fingers tighten on Rin’s sleeve.

_The other man I want to be able to be like is the one who finished piecing my brother (and us) back together again.  The one who took the jagged pieces of us, of our family, and never once tried to make them something they weren’t.  He didn’t try to smooth the edges to make us less biting.  Didn’t try to buff our worries and make us shine.  Never once tried to make light of our problems.  He simply held out his hand and took a portion of us.  He opened up parts of himself and his own family and helped us find the pieces of ourselves that fit there.  The ones that didn’t fit he simply added to the puzzle of his own life.  The other man I am proud to call a hero looked at us and saw how broken we were trying not to be and never once insisted that we needed to be fixed.  He simply gave until we could give back._

Makoto bit his lip and let the paper drift to the floor as he hugs Rin against his chest.  ”I think you did a pretty good job raising them,” he murmurs as Rin sniffles against his chest.  It was something he knew Rin worried about a lot.  Especially now that Rei and Gou were getting closer to the ages where they were going to be making serious decisions and thinking about futures.  

Rin shakes his head and lets out a teary chuckle, “For a couple of not quite adults who knew nothing that we thought we did I think _we_ did a good job of raising them.”


	14. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nonny asked: 11/14 & 53 neighbour AU from Little Rei's view?? (prompt 11, 14 & 53: Memory, Smile, and Keeping a Secret)

He woke with a start when his phone started buzzing next to his head and he quickly shut off the alarm before it could wake the others.  A muffled groan came from behind him seconds before the blanket was tugged from his waist with a thump.  Rei blinked the sleep from his eyes and rolled over with a smile.  Nagisa was currently curled up next to the bed wrapped in Rei’s blanket and grumbling.  Something about pickles and squids and Rei’s not even entirely sure Nagisa woke up when he fell off.  He does notice that Nagisa is lucky because had he fallen a few more inches away from the bed he would have landed on Gou.  And she would have woken him in the most blood curdlingly evil way she could think of.  Probably involving freezing cold water, ice cubes, and the tube of IcyHot in the bathroom.

They had spent most of the last two days planning this party for Makoto and Rin and had finally crashed sometime around three in the morning.  Rei had dutifully set his alarm for 9:45 because they were meeting Rin and Mako for an early lunch sometime around 11 and needed to be ready to leave by 10:30.  He carefully slipped from the bed and gently nudged his sister enough to get her to start to wake up.  She could use the bathroom after him.  Nagisa would take all of five minutes to brush his teeth and tame his hair and he’d be good.

As he showered and got ready for the big day he remembered the first time he had planned a surprise for his brother and their neighbor.

It had been a disaster start to finish and they had wound up covered in food coloring, flour, and milk.  But they were all laughing and that had been the first time he could remember thinking that with Makoto around they were a family again.  They weren’t “fixed” or suddenly all okay.  Rin still had days where he shut himself in his room.  Rei still had nightmares.  Gou still cried for her mom and dad.  But overall they were happy.  They were okay.

Now Rei is twenty, the same age Rin was when their world had been torn down to nothing and he had even more respect for Rin than he ever thought he could.  Because Rei can barely handle his classes at school along with his job and his social life and he can’t even imagine having to make the choice ( _I_ _t wasn’t hard you dolt_  Rin had laughed when Rei asked him one day  _I knew as soon as I heard the option that you two were coming home with me and that was that_ ) to just drop everything and pick up two kids that he barely ever had the chance to know.

Rei is 20, Gou is 18, Nagisa is 19 and the three of them are nearly inseparable now.  Haru is still Haru and he hangs around with them all when Nagisa drags his former babysitter to “come play” with them.  It still works a lot like it always has.  Haru sits to the side with Makoto and Rin while Nagisa tries to get Rei and Gou into some kind of mischief.  Their maturity didn’t change the most basic parts of them.  Nagisa brings them laughter.  Gou is their heart.  Rei brings them stability.

But they had pretty great role models to grow up with.

Because the most important thing he remembers about growing up is that Rin was their heart.  Haru was their laughter.  Makoto was their stability.

When they nod to Haru after lunch and the four of them drag Makoto and Rin to the park the day is filled with laughter and even the people they pass can’t help but smile at their cheerful group.  Makoto’s family is there with the decorations that Rei, Gou, and Nagisa prepared.  Along with all the friends and family they could possibly get a hold of.  It’s been almost eleven years since they moved into that house together.  Ten years since Makoto and Rin got married.  Over eight years since he wrote the essay about his two biggest heroes.  Two years since he graduated and moved out.

It’s been over 15 years since they met Makoto.  Fifteen years since he opened the door and looked up at the giant on the other side holding a single letter addressed to Rei’s big brother.

Seeing the tears building at the corner of his big brother’s eyes as he looks out over all his friends and family from his spot at the picnic table, seeing the fond look on Rin’s face as he spots Makoto playing with Ran’s little girl, seeing the calm set of his shoulders, seeing all that and more makes every single second of sleep Rei’s missed in the last month planning this with his sister and best friend more than worth it.

From the day he was born his family had never really been the “traditional” or “normal” family and he wouldn’t have it any other way.  When he meets Rin’s eyes and his brother beams at him and wipes away a tear he knows that Rin wouldn’t either.


	15. Rei and Nagisa All Grown Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little peek into grown up Rei and Nagisa’s friendship here in the Neighbor AU

"You have such weird taste in partners Rei," Nagisa stated in lieu of a normal "good morning" or "hello" or "sorry for intruding on you when you’re still basically naked after having a really interesting night" just a moment before he hopped onto Rei’s bed and slid under the covers.  Rei shivered when Nagisa’s cold fingers brushed his abs as he wrapped his arms around his waist and dropped his cheek onto Rei’s shoulder with a hum.

"This coming from the person who, over the years, has had a crush on not only my little sister but my older brother?"  He didn’t even have to see Nagisa’s face.  He could feel the heat from his friend’s blush against his shoulder and he laughed.  They had been friends for close to twenty years now and some days he still wondered just why Nagisa stuck around him so much.

"Come on.  Gou has always been gorgeous.  And seriously.  When we hit like thirteen?  Rin was one fine twenty-what?  Six?  Seven?  Whatever.  He was hot."

"And taken."

"Still hot.  I had no chance and never expected to.  But," he let out an appreciative sigh, "oh yeah.  So just shut up."  They laid on the bed in companionable silence until Nagisa’s phone buzzed against Rei’s hip and he sighed into Rei’s shoulder.  "Speaking of your sister?"  He shifted onto Rei’s chest and looked up at him with his best puppy dog expression, the one Rei had grown 99% immune to by the time they were about fourteen.

"No.  You started this argument with her.  I am not getting in the middle of it."

He frowned and poked at a dotting of freckles on Rei’s chest.  ”I didn’t think she’d take it so seriously.”  Rei closed his eyes and rubbed at his forehead with the hand not resting on Nagisa’s back.

"Nagisa," he stated very carefully, "you insulted her taste in men, her femininity, her job, and her shoes.  She loves you as much as I do but that was a bit much.  Even if it was you."

"I had a really bad breakup."

"You were an ass."  Rei linked his fingers together against Nagisa’s back and shifted slightly.  Nagisa’s jeans were starting to chafe a little.  The things he put up with for his best friend.

"I know.  Think she’ll forgive me?"

"Just go over to her place.  Smile.  Apologize.  She’ll yell at you.  Probably a lot.  Take her some of the cookies on the counter.  Buy a bottle of something on the way there.  Eat.  Drink.  Call me if something goes horribly wrong."  A soft laugh was muffled into Rei’s chest and he smiled.

"How do you always manage to make things sound so simple?"

"It’s a talent.  One of many."

Cool air assaulted every part of his skin not covered by Nagisa as the blonde shifted and threw the blanket off of them.  ”You have many many talents, Rei.  Many of which, even with our long history, I have yet to be shown.”  He winked at Rei and pressed a kiss to his cheek before hopping out of bed.  ”We’re not each other’s type and I have no idea if that is a good or a bad thing in the long run.”

"Nagisa," Rei called out and he stopped in the door way giving his friend’s body an appreciative once over before answering.

"Yeah, Rei-chan?"

"I’m not getting out of bed yet.  Cover me back up as a thank you for the cookies."

"Aw but covering up Rei’s beautiful body would be a shame."  Nagsia pouted but stepped back into the room and tossed the blanket onto Rei.  And if he happened to cop a feel of Rei’s finely toned bare thigh?  Well it was all part of the weird friendship they had developed over the years.

"Remember to lock the door this time," Rei called down the hall and snuggled back under his blanket.  Falling asleep to the sound of his best friend poking through his cupboards.


	16. Follow the Penguins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Immediately follows last chapter, the penguins thing is because of [this](http://ezzydean.tumblr.com/post/90225073964).

“Just follow the penguins.”  Rei opens his eyes and warily pulls his phone away to check the time.  Two twenty-seven in the morning.  Perfect.

 

“Nagisa are you drunk?”  Nagisa’s giggles confirm it.  He had been friends with Nagisa long enough, and drunk with him enough times, to know Nagisa’s range of giggles.  From happy to mischievous to sad to horny to drunk.  Nagisa’s giggles were an entire language and Rei was fluent in it.

“The cookies are gone.  But the penguins are leading me somewhere Rei.”

“Where are you?  Is Gou still with you?”

“Yeah the penguins are on her phone.  They’re leading us somewhere.”

“I take it you two made up?”  He hears a slight scuffle and what was most likely Nagisa tripping over something and suddenly Gou’s voice fills his ear.  It’s breathy and he can hear her smile.

“Onii-chan!”  They are both so far gone right now.  Gou only calls him “Onii-chan” when she’s either really upset with him or really drunk.  “Nagisa got penguins on my phone and they’re taking us somewhere.”  Rei has the utmost respect for Rin and Makoto for putting up with and raising (more or less) all three of them.  Haru had helped but, man, the introduction of Nagisa to their lives had basically made everything explode.  Rei’s cleverness and need to know things mixed with Gou’s “innocence” and enthusiasm mixed with Nagisa’s thirst for adventure had been a hell of a combination.

One that Rei bears the brunt of the responsibility for now that they’re grown and moved out and “adults.”  Another giggle fills his ear and he lets out a sigh before fumbling around for his glasses.  It’s a good thing he doesn’t have anything better to do on a Sunday morning than go find those two and drag them home.  “Gou?”

“Yes Onii-chan?”  Rei has to stifle the sigh that threatens to slip out.

“Any idea where the penguins are taking you?”  The sound gets muffled and he assumes Gou is questions Nagisa.  He takes the chance to pull on a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt and wedges the phone between his ear and shoulder just as Gou’s voice returns.

“Nagisa says we’re going to the zoo.”  He pauses in the middle of pulling on his shoes and tries to figure out where the nearest zoo is.  Somewhere over two hours away and he hopes that they aren’t that far away.  “But right now we’re just sitting in the park watching the penguins waddle away.”

“Do me a favor?”

“Sure thing, Onii-chan.”

“Stay in the park and watch the penguins.  Maybe see if they’ll play on the swings.  But don’t leave the park.”  Rei slips his keys into his pocket and shuts his door with a sigh.  He’s pretty sure he knows where they are.  There’s only one park between his place and Gou’s place after all.

Sure enough fifteen minutes later he enters the park and hears Gou and Nagisa’s giggles filling the air.  They’re lucky that it’s a quiet park that’s kind of out of the way and that no one has called the police to come pick them up.  It’s after three in the morning after all.  Nagisa is standing on the top of a slide and Gou is looking up at him and it is a scene right out of their childhood and he already knows the ending: Nagisa’s knee is skinned and he clings happily to Rei’s back like some kind of octopus as Rei carries him home, Gou has tears in her eyes and he’s not entirely sure if they’re from laughing at Nagisa or the scolding Rei gave them as he had tugged Nagisa up from under the slide.

They are adults.

Which is why Nagisa and Gou are going to wake up with hangovers and Rei hopes he has enough aspirin left in his cabinet.

They manage to get back to his place and Gou kicks off her shoes and tugs Nagisa’s off before making herself at home on the couch.  She takes the bottle of water Rei digs out from the fridge and drinks half of it before Rei can even make it to the hallway.

“Thanks, Onii-chan.”  Her soft voice follows him and he pauses halfway to his room, Nagisa snuggling into his neck.

“Of course.”

“I mean it.  For everything.  For being our friend.  For helping us fix things when we get stupid.  For picking us up when we get stupider.”  He can feel himself blushing, even though it’s nothing he hasn’t heard before.  The sincerity and kindness and love coming from his sister just pierces him.

“You’re welcome.  Now rest.  You’re already going to hate everything when you wake up.”  He waits in the hallway until he hears her shuffle around on the couch and tug the blanket up.  Then he finally returns to his own bed.  Dropping Nagisa on the edge of it he quickly pulls his clothes back off and crawls in with a sigh.  A moment later Nagisa is curled up next to him without his own clothes on, arm tossed across Rei’s chest, leg hooked in between his own, head nestled under Rei’s chin.

Was it really less than twenty-four hours ago that Nagisa had invaded his room in almost this exact same way?

“Hey Rei-chan?”  Nagisa’s voice was surprisingly quiet and Rei pulled his arms tight around his friend.

“Yes Nagisa?”

“Is it a good or bad thing we’re not each other’s type?”  Rei has to blink away the sleep that was quickly catching back up to him to understand Nagisa’s question.  Ah, the statement from this morning before he headed to Gou’s place.  Even as tired as he was Rei could connect the dots.

“Is that part of what you two fought about?”  Nagisa nuzzles into his neck and nods.  Rei can feel his breath tickling at the base of his throat.

“She said that I broke up with this one cause he’s not you.”

“Did you?”

“Well I broke up with him because he was an asshole.  So I guess in a way it’s true.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

He’s almost asleep when Nagisa whispers, “Hey, Rei?”  He hums questioningly.  “You love me, right?”

“Of course I do Nagisa.”


	17. Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I received a handful of broad prompts about this AU (focusing on the kids, and Gou especially.) This, more or less, covers most of them.

Gou has always been taken care of.  This is a fact that she knows without even having to consider it.  Colds, scraped knees, broken crayons, lost stuffed bunnies.  All taken care of without her even having to ask most of the time.

When she was seven the princess costume she had been wanting for Halloween was gone by the time they went to buy it.  It was important to her, so very important, because it was their first Halloween at their house and she _had_ to be a princess.  Because Rei was going to be a knight and Nagisa was coming over as wizard (along with Haru) and Makoto and Rin were gonna be kings so she had to be a princess.

The rest of the boys had spent the two days leading up to trick or treating working on her costume with her.  By the time it was done Rin was groaning playfully about never wanting to use glitter again in his life and Nagisa was wearing most of said glitter.  But she had her costume and it was the best ever.

When she was eight and broke her arm playing on the swings she had been heartbroken at first.  Cried like none other because it _hurt_ so much and she wouldn’t be able to play with the others.  That had stopped as soon as Rin came into the room because he was crying and she couldn’t make him cry more.  He was doing everything he could for them, even if she was only eight she understood that much, so she was strong for him.

The others decorated her cast for her and Rin let her have whatever she wanted for almost a week.  Even if it was mac and cheese and ice cream four days in a row and neither of those were really his favorite things.  He still did it because it was Gou and she wanted it.

They gave in to all her whims; being carried home and making snow angels and crafts and exploring everything was fair game for her to want and they’d all pretty much do it.

It wasn’t until she was fifteen that she really stopped to think about it. 

Some rude girl at school was upset that Gou was so “popular” with boys and started saying some nasty things about her.  They got back to Gou eventually, after her friends started giving her looks and she finally got tired of it and insisted they tell her what was going on, and she came home one day, angry and shaking, and went straight to her room, ignoring Rin and Makoto in the kitchen and not even registering that Rei was already home from school as well.

It wasn’t _her_ fault she got along well with boys in her grade and the ones older than her.  She was comfortable around them.  She was used to guys.  She lived with three of them.  Nagisa was around all the time and was one of her best friends.  Boys were comfortable.  She understood them, most of the time.

When Rei had eventually coaxed the truth out of her and Nagisa had come rushing over upset because he had heard rumors being spread she felt bad for dragging them into it.  Rei was a top student and Nagisa was so popular and she didn’t want them to have to deal with this.

They knew she could handle it but as her brothers - Nagisa had declared himself her other big brother sometime last year after he got over his massive crush on her - they felt it was their duty to take care of things.

When she was seventeen she came home with bloody knuckles and a bruised cheek and she thought Rin was going to have a heart attack when he saw her.  Some rude classmate had been saying some nasty things about her family.  About her brothers.  About her being a spoiled princess.

Nagisa had been the one to pull her back, to apologize profusely to the teacher who came to see what the commotion was, to use his seniority to break things up.

But she had made her point.  She may be a princess but she can damn well take care of herself too.

When she’s twenty-two she introduces her boyfriend to them.  Makoto is just as wide and intimidating at forty as he was at twenty, Rin is watching from the kitchen with a skeptical eye, Rei and Nagisa have her boyfriend pinned between them on the couch interrogating him and even Haru is here, leaning up against the wall next to Makoto whispering things to him.

Her boys, and she’s pretty sure that they are all hers before they’re anyone else’s,  are all here with her and she smiles happily when Sousuke simply raises an eyebrow as Rin leans over him and pokes him in the chest.  “You damn well better do a good job taking care of her.”

After a moment Sousuke looks over to her and smiles.  “I will if she’ll let me.”

It was apparently the right response because Rin rolls his eyes and heads back to the kitchen muttering about something with Rei on his heels and Nagisa pounces on Sousuke with a laugh.  Makoto and Haru head outside to set up the table on the porch for supper.

Yeah, she’s pretty well taken care of.

**Author's Note:**

> This is an ongoing AU that I've been getting amazing prompts for over on my [Tumblr](http://ezzydean.tumblr.com/tagged/neighbor-au). There are most likely some mini-prompts and headcanon type stuff on my Tumblr that's not posted here.


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